DELICIOUS MANGO LASSI

Minnesota likes to be cool,cold and coldest for the most part of the year.After living here for almost 5 years, I have now begun to understand the hype of Summer around this part of the globe. Everyone just waits for it to be warm.And that doesn't last for more than a few weeks here.By then it's Fall already!Then the days fly by till January and after that, nothing moves or changes for the next few months. That's the season I am not looking forward to!

For me, Summer should make you feel warm and not hot and sweaty. I don't like hot days. I always tell Jobin, that, there's a smell in the air which reminds me of Summer always. I think it's the humidity and the heat from the roads which produces that smell. It also means, I get to smell the wafting aromas of everything that's cooking on our neighbourhood grills. It's such an awesome smell of seared meat and roasted veggies. Yum! That's the summer I like.

This is that time of the year when you get to go to the Farmers Market and enjoy the beautiful produce & flowers that's grown locally.It really is a beautiful sight! This is the time when Lemonade stands pop up here and there, with variety of flavours. I love a good Lemonade. But, I also love a good,very cold Lassi. Amma is the biggest fan of Lassi in our house. She just simply adores that cold concoction of thick yogurt and sugar.

We don't get a decent Lassi anywhere in Kerala, from our personal experiences. It's always a sour thing. A good lassi is not sour. It's just the plain goodness of freshly set yogurt and not the ones that's been lying around in the fridge for days! We always look forward to our trips to Karnataka & Tamil Nadu and then gulp down our share of Sweet Lassi. It was not until we moved to Minnesota that I got a chance to taste a Mango Lassi.

It was about 4 1/2 years ago when we both, right after moving to this town,went to buy Chicken Biriyani from a store which was a good 10 miles away from where we lived. While I waited in the car, Jobin brought me a plastic container filled with Mango Lassi. I was a bit hesitant to try it, even though I love Mangoes. Boy! I was so wrong! It was one of the most delicious drinks I've had so far. It was sweet, thick, cold and delicious down to the last drop. I don't know how they made it there but here's how I make it at home.

DELICIOUS MANGO LASSI
My own recipe
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 cup thick whole milk yogurt
Scant 1 cup tinned sweetened mango pulp (or to taste)
1/4 cup whole milk
3 ice cubes
a pinch of ground cardamom (optional)


Method: Blend everything together until the ice blends in with the lassi.Serve cold garnished with a sprig of mint.

I bet you all knew how to make it already, right? This is hardly a recipe. A few things are thrown into the blender and that's it! All 3 of us love this,especially Ian. The first time he tasted this was when he was around 8 months.You will not believe if I told you the fuss he made when that got over! We ordered another one for him, which he gulped down happily, only half way though. He loves yogurt so it was not a surprise to me!

 

KADUMANGA ACHAR / KERALAN MANGO PICKLE

Last Saturday, we were at our friends house for an early Onam Sadya. It was a potluck so we took some Pavakka Theeyal,Beetroot Kichadi,Puli Inji & Pal Payasam. There were a variety of other curries and the early Sadya was a big hit!The main thing that caught my attention was the Kadumanga achar that our friend made. It's so hard to find them in stores here so I thought I'd make some at home.

It's very easy to make and the only thing you would need to buy from the store just for this would be some green mangoes. I had 2 in my fridge so everything came together quite fast for me. This recipe makes a good amount of pickle so if you think you will not need so much, just halve the ingredients and continue with the method.

I usually recycle glass jars/bottles with or without lids for future use. Those jars without lids become my flower vases and the ones with lids gets used up in various form for storing things.Just make sure the bottles are very clean and dry,especially the lids. Don't ever use a wet spoon in getting the pickle out unless you like seeing white mouldy stuff in your pickle jar when you open them next. I love surprises but not like these :-)

KADUMANGA ACHAR
Recipe from Honey Sarah

Ingredients:
2 large green mangoes, chopped fine with skin on
1 tbsp salt
1/3 c oil (vegetable/canola/gingelly)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 pod garlic, sliced
1 large piece of ginger,sliced
6 green chilies,chopped fine
2 sprigs curry leaves
4 heaped tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 c water
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
1/2-1 tsp asafoetida
1 1/2 tbsp vinegar (adjust to your taste, esp if the mangoes are sour)

Method: Chop the mangoes,mix with salt and leave it aside for 5-6 hours.In a deep pan, heat oil and crackle the mustard seeds. Once the seeds pop, add garlic, ginger, green chilies & curry leaves. Saute them for 1-2 mins. Reduce the flame to a medium low,add red chili powder & turmeric powder. Saute for 1 minute. Add salt and water and bring it to a boil. Add asafoetida and fenugreek powder. Mix well. Let the masala boil till it is fairly thick.Add the chopped mangoes and mix well to coat. Switch of the heat and taste test for salt. Add vingear if needed. Let it cool. Transfer to a clean dry bottle and store in the fridge till it's used up.

I usually don't bottle the pickles till a day or two after I make it so that if any adjustments needs to be made, I can do it easily. Once again, use clean jars and spoons when it comes to any pickle. This pickle is yummy and  is best served with kanji and curd.